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Thursday, July 23, 2015

A Namaste Hug for Gillian

She's done. And I'm in love. This quilt was sewn with good vibrations, love, and positive thoughts for a dear friend. Hope you've got a warm coffee or tea in hand for the dozen photos in this post!

A Namaste Hug - Namaste is a Sanskrit word with which I, like most yoga teachers, always close my classes. It simply means "the light and all that is good within me humbly honours the light and all that is good within you." Isn't that a beautiful salutation?

pre-washing, sunny

post-washing, not as sunny

What a difference a few hours makes for light!

The back:

I wish you could feel the incredible soft plush of this fabric

This shows off the plush fabric, as well as the quilting and the random words I quilted in in various spots

The backing was a hit at the guild meeting Tuesday night; the girl holding
up the quilt for Show 'n Tell took it, and then when she touched it, her
eyes widened, she gasped, "Oh!" and she rubbed her cheek against the
back, saying, "MMM!" and smiling. :-) They were so impressed with the
short, oh-so-soft plush pile. Someone else had a quilt for Show 'n Tell
with navy minky on the back but it was a longer pile and not as nice. I
didn't ask where she purchased hers, but the shop owner of Guildcrafters
said the box stores don't get the real minky Cuddle stuff. I found out
that a quilt shop in Leamington, just 8 km away from home, has lots of
minky, so I will check them out. And let you know how it compares
price-wise of course!

Side view trying to get the texture of the ribbon candy and dot to dot after washing

I used the Jinny Beyer Coral Reef fabric as the binding, scraps of which I used to line one of my Nesting Bowls. Bought for kaleidoscopes, and used as the backing on a bargello quilt in the early 2000s, I now have very little of it
left. I love a striped binding, and this one was perfect; there are
also two squares of it in the heart. I usually sew my binding down on
the back by hand but this one I did by machine, sewing it to the back
first, and then machine edge-stitching it down on the front. It turned
out really well. I zigzagged the edges before applying the binding even
though I'd already stay-stitched them, another tip from Jasmine.

Since Jasmine of Quilt Kisses had given me a wealth of advice and tips, I decided to copy her method of labelling a quilt. I also hadn't applied my regular label before loading the quilt on my Avanté...

Why is there always a little thread, or in this case, piece of dead grass, that you don't notice until you input a picture?

I kept the swirl quilting quite open and large; Jasmine advice, so it didn't squash the pile. At the store, the owner said she's used Cuddle a lot on quilt backings and she finds it's okay to quilt it closer as once you wash it the pile fluffs up just fine. btw, it sure did wash up nicely! I am happy I did the loose quilting; it was fast and freeing and it did turn out really well. The entire quilt is so soft and not heavy at all.

Here are some shots of the words I quilted in:

I always do this in the quilts I gift, quilt the recipient's name or names into the quilt. Sometimes I tell them, sometimes I don't, and let them find the surprise. Without going into detail, but I'm sure many of you have guessed, Gillian has been diagnosed with breast cancer and is currently undergoing treatment. She was my first Yin yoga teacher, one of my first two Ashtanga yoga teachers, and we did Ashtanga yoga teacher training together throughout 2012, me for the first time, her for like the twenty-first. She likes to stay current, and loves workshops.

A shot of the Dot to Dot and ribbon candy pre-washing; I'm really happy with how I'm improving with ruler work on my Avril, as well as quilting upside down, sideways, diagonally, etc.

30 comments:

I really love the quilted frame around the heart with the ribbon candy; what a great choice! And thanks so much for sharing some of Jasmine's great tips on how to use cuddle / minky. I might have to give that a try one of these days...

This post just makes me smile :) Beautifully done! Gillian is sure to feel all of the love, good vibrations and positive thoughts that radiate from this quilt. I can feel them from the pictures. She is sure to have great comfort in knowing that a piece of you is wrapped around her as she goes through her treatments. Namaste my friend :)

Such a gorgeous quilt! The quilting you did takes it from wow to WOW! The last minky I used for backing gave me a lot of trouble. Thanks for the info about the shorter pile minky; I'll have to try that next time.

What a great post all the way around. You taught me a great new word and that I would like to try minky as a backing. Everything about this quilt is great. Your quilting looks amazing and you really took advantage of all that negative space. This quilt screams love and warmth feelings.

I truly love everything about this quilt. Gillian will certainly see and feel all the love you put into her quilt. I have not worked with minky before, or at least not the good stuff. If one is to quilt with it on their domestic machine, do you have to spray baste the living lights out of it? Thanks for sharing your gorgeous finish. Namaste, dear Sandra.

This turned out so beautifully, Sandra! The quilting is gorgeous and I love the way you've personalized the quilting. What a beautiful and thoughtful gift - I'm sure Gillian will sense the positive vibes in this!

What a beautiful quilt with a beautiful sentiment to match. It will surely bring lots of joy. I've been backing quilts (certainly baby quilts, fall/winter lap quilts & throws) with Minky for a decade now. Once a quilt recipient gets one with a Minky back, it's a must for subsequent ones. Love the way the quilting shows up on the back. Very nice!

Hi BJ, Thanks so very much for your comments; I think this is at least the second one. I've tried to find you with no luck whatsoever. There is no blog linked to the Blogger profile that comes up when I click your name, and you are a no-reply blogger. I always respond to comments, so I do hope you somehow see this and know that I appreciate you taking the time to leave another comment. This Minky was just incredibly soft. I want some for me!

I love everything about this quilt including the design, the name the quilting, the binding, the label... I could go on and on. So glad you showed close-ups of your gorgeous quilting. I have quilted my sons' names into their quilts, so I will have to think about doing it for others. Glad your first experience with the minky was successful. I'm sure your friend will treasure it.

A.M.A.Z.I.N.G. I am lost for words. This quilt literally takes my breath away. It's nothing short of magnificent; I feel it is one of, if not THE most beautiful quilts you've done, but that's so difficult to judge as they're all stunning. A wonderful friend you are, she will take such comfort in it. I can feel the soft gentle backing through the pictures. Could stim on that softness forever. <3

Oh my this quilt is gorgeous! I love everything about it... the message behind it, the words quilted into it, the heart, the colors, the quilting.... all of it. What a wonderful gift. Your friend will sure feel the blessings coming from this beautiful gift.

"Namaste Hug" - a beautiful name that conveys your feelings so well. This quilt is so gorgeous Sandra! I really love the quilting you did: the ribbon candy framing the quilt, the swirls, hearts, and the words and Gillian's name. Real Minky makes the most huggable backing and is so perfect when you want to surround the recipient in love. I pray that your friend beats her cancer. This quilt will certainly bring her much comfort!

Oh my goodness! The white space is absolutely as intriguing as the colored part! I honestly didn't see it coming from the "flimsy" (You know I can throw around these quilter words now. ha ha ha) where it was just a lovely heart on a big piece of white. The quilting completely transformed it. Pretty amazing. :)

I wholeheartedly appreciate you taking the time to leave a comment, as they make my day! I answer every one by personal email. :-) Unless... you are a "no-reply" blogger, which can occur for a few reasons. You can get around that by writing out your email within your comment, OR here is an awesome place you may fix this:http://www.sewathomemummy.com/2013/01/are-you-no-reply-blogger.html

About Me

I am a very happy early retiree from the teaching profession. I LOVED teaching, but it was time...I now spend my days doing and teaching yoga, quilting, reading, walking my dog, and in general loving my life!